Emirates Airline has again announced the suspension of all flights to Nigeria effective next week.
The decision comes after the Nigerian government slammed a ban on the Dubai-based carrier from flying to Lagos.
Emirates disclosed the suspension in a statement published on its website on Friday, December 10, 2021.
“With the recently imposed directive limiting Emirates to operate one flight per week to Nigeria via Abuja, Emirates will be suspending its flights between Nigeria and Dubai from 13 December 2021, until the UAE and Nigerian authorities work on a solution to the ongoing issue,” Emirates said in a statement.
It will be recalled that the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) had Friday,December 10, banned Emirates from flying into Lagos; while also restricting the airline to just one weekly flight to Abuja.
The action comes less than one week after Nigeria and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) settled a 10-months long misunderstanding that saw suspension of flights between both countries.
Consequently, Emirates Airlines had resumed its Nigerian operations on Sunday, December 5, 2021; with its first flight welcomed with a water salute. However, the airline has swiftly been suspended again effective tomorrow, Sunday, December 12, 2021. With the ban, Emirates can only fly into Abuja just once weekly on Thursday; but its Lagos flight is suspended.
Clarifying the reason for the latest ban; the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), says it was carried out under the principle of reciprocity.
Specifically, the NCAA disclosed that it withdrew the ministerial approval granted to Emirates by the Ministry of Aviation because of the action of UAE authorities, with respect to another Nigerian airline. Captain Musa Nuhu, the Director-General of NCAA, said that it withdrew the approval following the refusal of the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) to grant equal rights to the sole Nigerian carrier, Air Peace flying to Sharjah, the neighbor emirate of Dubai.
The NCAA DG noted that the GCAA had attributed its refusal to grant the three frequencies to the airline to inadequate slots at Sharjah airport; stressing that the government would continue to protect Nigeria’s businesses. But Nuhu explained that Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, had graciously granted Emirates 21 frequencies weekly to two major airports in Nigeria: fourteen to Lagos, seven to Abuja.
“The Nigerian Government was gracious to grant Emirates Airlines 21 frequencies it requested for. The airline wants to operate fourteen weekly flights to Lagos and another seven weekly to Abuja airports.”
“However, Air Peace only requested for three weekly flights to Sharjah, not even Dubai airport; but the GCAA refused the airline. It only approved one weekly frequency to the airline. The only excuse they gave was that they don’t have enough slots. Where is the justice in this? That is the capital flight out of Nigeria. Nigeria should protect its own.”
A letter communicating the ban and the sole weekly flight to Abuja has equally been communicated to the Emirates Country Manager.
One thought on “Again, Emirates suspends flight to Nigeria”